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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

No way!

Congratulations to "Jane" and "Colleen C", the winners in C.A.'s giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

We’ve all read that book where we are following the story, like the story—maybe love it—and then the hero, or even the heroine throws us for a loop, and we say out loud, “No way.”That declaration could be anything—they did something that doesn’t fit the personality they previously presented in the book, was against their motivations, or just something so plain stupid we roll our eyes.Depending on what we’re reading, the suspension of disbelief might be necessary, but sometimes authors take it too far. As a reader, we’re all pretty discerning, right?We know what’s “real” and what’s not. What makes sense, and what doesn’t.We all like that story we get into it so much it’s like we’re walking beside the hero or heroine. Talking with them, maybe even doing naughty things with them, to them? LOL.The better the characters, the better the read. The more we crave from that author.My characters are real to me. They are people who live in my head. No, really. And no, I don’t have multiple personalities, nor do I need meds. (I’d like to think anyway).So how do I make them as real to you, the reader as I do to me?Honestly, I’m not sure it a conscious thing for me. I write them, and the further I go, the further they unfold for me, develop before my eyes. They tell me what they love and hate, what they are good at. Every hero and heroine has a “super” power. Something they excel at. Something to make us admire them.I think a good character is like a good friend. We love them, but on the other hand, we get mad at them sometimes, too. And THAT’S OKAY!They have flaws, and quirks. Just like we do in real life. A perfect character is in essence, far from perfect, and that right there is why we love them.A good, believable character presents us with consistent actions, reactions, choices. If they go left-field at any time, for me as a reader, the author dang-well better give me a credible reason. If not, the book loses interest for me, and as an author, that’s my biggest fear!If someone doesn’t finish one book, they won’t pick up another from that particular author! Books are generally not expensive, right, but they still cost money!The deeper we go with characters, the more we understand them, the more we love them. The more we root for them, we WANT them to succeed. WANT them to get the girl, the job, hell, even the dog—if that’s what they want. I think every writer is different. Some do detailed character sheets, with everything documented from eye color to middle name. They jot everything that makes up WHO they’re telling the story about. This is great, whatever works for you.Personally, I don’t really know a character until I start writing them. Getting to know them as the story unfold is what makes my characters real—for me and the story.No way is wrong, as long as the characters are real.

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So what makes a character real to you? What is a pet peeve about heroes and heroines?GIVEAWAY!Two winners will be selected from all the commenters, and I will give away a book to each! Winner’s choice of Collision Force (Crossing Forces Book One) OR Chance Collision (Crossing Forces Book Two)! Please make sure you leave your email with your comment!I’m excited to see what makes characters believable to you guys!Chance Collision

Vowing to protect her had nothing to do with feelings. Detective Pete Crane catches a new shooting case and considers it business-as-usual. But when the lead witness is the Chief of Police’s fiery assistant, he never anticipated she’d challenge him—personally and professionally. Especially while under his protection. Little do they know, the shooting she and her grandmother witnessed was anything but random.

Thrown together, their attraction sizzles, even though she’s squarely in the no-fly zone. She makes him break every rule in his little black book.Nikki Harper has been attracted to Pete since they met two years ago. Witnessing a brutal shooting throws her into a stigma that’s always been her greatest fear: a victim. She has no choice but to accept his protective custody and let him help save her and her beloved grandmother. Can Pete protect his witness and solve the case, while fighting the intense heat with Nikki?Buylinks for Chance Collision:AReTotally BoundAmazon UKAmazon CAAmazonBarnes and NobleSonyKOBOGiveaway ends 11:59pm EST Feb. 6th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustRomanticSuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.

24 comments:

I guess I get tired of the ho/hum romances that the guy screws up and is then forgiven, blah blah blah...I like twists and turns, highs and lows...it keeps you reading. I would love to win Collision Force, you are new to me and this sounds really good!

Congrats on the new release! I guess what makes me mad is when the author rushes the romance between the characters - they are both denying that they even want to be in a romance, and sometimes have really good reasons to take things slowly and then bam..because the author is 10 pages or so into the book suddenly the characters have to get intimate and then spend the rest of the book going back and forth at each other and it gets old fast....that's my biggest pet peeve. Thanks for the giveaway!

I TOTALLY agree, BN! I don't care what the reason it, I personally don't like it when either the hero OR the heroine is with another person sexually in the book. A person OTHER than their HEA, even if it there is a reason for it. Just not my cuppa.

Oh I have definitely read some books that had me say "What?" or "No Way". I love a character's quirks, flaws and personality coming to life between the pages of a book... see them make mistakes and work things out... all to come to a positive outcome, their HEA! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

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A recipe that includes a dash of desperation, a smidgen of danger, a dollop of adventure and a healthy portion of passion. Sprinkle a happy ending on top and you have the perfect meal. - JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE